News Flash: A church gives away the Christmas offering
Have you ever thought about the gift of being born in America versus some other part of the world? None of us had a choice about what kind of family we are born into, the physical characteristics we would possess or even the country we would be born in. We have been blessed to be born in the richest nation in the world, with access to the greatest amount of technical resources and the largest religious freedoms ever known to humankind.
Now imagine, being born in a society, or lower echelon of a country, where just having enough to eat and drink is considered being rich. Envision a life where from birth you were considered a liability to your family. Visualize being cast out because you were going to be a burden to others. How would you respond? Every day our missionaries are confronted with poverty as well as injustice and asked to offer hope to people who in biblical terms would be considered the greatest in need.
This is where our anticipation of the Messiah comes in. We believe God is calling us to bring a foretaste of heaven to places without hope. He has called us to answer the cries for help. Just like the Magi coming across the desert to bring gifts to the King of Kings, we are partnering with you to bring joy and hope to places that rarely have either. This year 100% percent of The Center’s Christmas offering will go to help the widowed, addicted, abandoned, struggling, their families, their children, child slaves and those who have never heard the words of Jesus. Any Christmas gift will offer hope for people who are often considered expendable by society.
The Center’s Christmas Eve offering will be deployed to:
Hope for Today Ministries (India) – Peter and Ester Pereira – Global
Positive Intentions - Jim Hamill - Local
Itasca Cares – The Team - Local
The idea behind our tradition is a pretty simple idea. Instead of trading gift cards or buying a “friend” another travel mug, we been asking everyone to review how much they would normally spend on themselves and those closest to them for Christmas gifts. We then suggest everyone redirect 20% of that amount to this special Christmas Eve celebration.
For those who like the details: We will have three giving baskets representing the three incredible organizations and during the service, everyone will be given a chance to bring their gift(s) forward. The offerings are tax deductible. The checks should be written to The Center with the name of the organization in the memo line. We also will be taking online donations for this as well athttps://communitycenter.life/give-volunteer .
Please consider joining us as we strive to connect the awe of Christ’s first coming with the anticipation of His second by sharing our blessings in His name.